I don't usually post about failed attempts at items on the list, but this one was a notable effort so I'll at least mention it.
It's harder than it sounds like to go outside for 15 minutes a day on 100 consecutive days! (Item #63) Rain, the flu, just plain crazy schedules - there are more than enough things to conspire against a goal like this, and a bad head cold did me in this time. I made it 32 days, and on day 34 I woke up and realized that I'd spent day 33 wrapped up in a blanket, watching Heroes on Netflix and eating chicken noodle soup and feeling generally wretched. I'll start this one over again soon, but for now, here is a short list of the ways I spent my outside time during the first real attempt on this item:
* fifteen late-night walks, three of which were in the rain
* one 3-mile jog, bright and early! (Early, anyway.)
* one long walk to and from the car for the Billy Joel & Elton John concert in Portland
* stroll around campus before and after the senior recital of one of my violinists at the college
* late-night walk with my daughter to look at a truly spectacular full moon
* walk to and from my daughter's school to see her stand on her head at her choir program
* rather stressful walk through downtown Portland on the way to a relaxing, wonderful Cappella Romana concert that touched my heart so profoundly that I sat through the first half with tears rolling down my face
* one Operation Worm Rescue
* one walk around the block with the kids on a perfectly clear night so we could look at the stars
* sitting on my mom's front porch reading a book after driving to Seattle to hear Cappella Romana do the same program again (what can I say, it was a good concert)
* hit-and-run raking at the neighbors' house
* afternoon walk to soak up sunlight after days and days of rain
* running like a madwoman around the college campus where Saturday's musical event was held, trying to get from Point A to Point B in negative numbers of minutes due to dreadful planning errors on the part of the organizers
* and my favorite, a 2.8-mile hike at Silver Falls (see below)
Ah well ... at least if I have to start over from the beginning, it's a fun project to do more than once!
South Falls, from the trail that goes behind the falls
Silver Creek, just past the pool at the bottom of the South Falls
one of my favorite shots of Silver Creek - this is at the lowest point of the hike I took, although it's possible to continue down the river to see eight more waterfalls before looping back up for a total of about 7 miles with a 700-ft. elevation gain - not quite ready for that yet!
Lower South Falls
South Falls
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